Football History
Brothers in Football and War: Phil Smith (1885–1918) & Joe Smith (1889-1971)
My great grandfather’s cousin, Joe Smith (1889–1971), was one of the best professional footballers of his generation. He is number 11 on the list of England’s top-flight goal scorers, with 243 league goals. In the 1914/15 season alone, he scored 36 goals in 45 games as a forward for Bolton Wanderers. Despite having died more than 40 years ago, Joe Smith remains second only to the legendary Nat Lofthouse as Bolton’s top goalscorer. His 38 goals in 1920/21 season are still a club record.
In contrast, his brother Phil Smith (1885–1918), is long forgotten. He’s remembered chiefly (thanks to official Chelsea historian Rick Glanvill) as the reason behind today’s transfer deadline day. Contemporary accounts confirm that Joe was always the better footballer, but as a result of his untimely death in the First World War, Phil was not able to protect his personal legacy.
Joe and Phil’s father, Joseph (1856–1914) and his sister (my great great grandmother), Sarah, grew up in the industrial Black Country in England’s West Midlands. Like many men in the area, Joseph senior worked in the hot and dangerous iron industry as a forgeman and puddler, while his wife, Rosina, raised their three sons in a four-roomed house in Newcastle under Lyme…
